


Their First Meeting

by SpencerRemyLvr



Category: Criminal Minds, The Sentinel
Genre: Friendship, Gen, How They Met, Kids, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-05
Updated: 2014-06-05
Packaged: 2018-02-03 12:24:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1744547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpencerRemyLvr/pseuds/SpencerRemyLvr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A tale of how 10 year old Spencer meets 12 year old Blair Sandburg. It's the start of a beautiful friendship</p>
            </blockquote>





	Their First Meeting

The day that Spencer Reid met Blair Sandburg hadn’t started out any different than any other day. The ten year old boy had woken up and followed his usual morning routine, making breakfast for himself and his mother. He’d done his typical chores and was out the door in enough time to catch the bus to school. He went through his school day, same as any other. Classes in the morning, hiding in the library over lunch, more classes, got stuffed into a locker and let back out my a janitor that was far too used to letting him go, more classes, a little extra library time after school, and then the walk home when he deliberately missed the bus home. He didn’t mind riding the bus in, but riding it home was never a pleasant experience. He far preferred to just miss the bus and then walk on home. Being a ten year old child prodigy in a Las Vegas public high school wasn’t exactly the safest life for a kid. Still, it was his life, and if it wasn’t perfect, well, he only had a few more years to get through and then he’d be in college and he wouldn’t have to worry about any of these bullies here anymore.

Thoughts of college kept Spencer entertained as he wandered past the football field. He imagined the things he could do, the things he could learn, once he was there. Things would be different in college, he was sure. There, he wouldn’t be a freak for being smart. College was full of smart kids! More than anything, he really wanted to go to Caltech, or maybe Yale. Places like that would look on a smart kid as someone normal, wouldn’t they? He wouldn’t be the outcast there. Maybe, for once, he’d fit in. Oh, sure, he’d still be _younger_. But there he might find minds that could keep up with his. Some days that was one of the hardest things he dealt with. He could handle the bullies, handle the rude remarks and the relentless teasing. It was the feeling of being _alone_ that really got to him. Of having no one even close to his age that understood him, or who could understand how his mind worked. Sure, some of the teachers did. Mrs. Jacobson was a brilliant lady and they often got into debates in her science class. She was his teacher, though. Not his friend. She saw a bright student when she looked at him, nothing more. Spencer wanted someone to look at him as a friend. He had no idea that that was what he was about to find.

He’d just rounded the corner past the football field, close to the bleachers, when he heard a solid thud followed by a smothered cry of pain. Almost instantly he winced and hunched in on himself. Another thud echoed in the air. There was no denying what the sounds were. He knew them intimately; had, in fact, been in the position enough time to recognize it. Someone was getting beat up back here.

Slowly, moving as quietly as he could, Spencer crept up to the edge of the bleachers. He stuck his head around the corner and tried to look through the shadows. It only took him a second to find the source of the sound and prove his assumptions correct. There were three of the high school’s football team back here; Morris, Alan, and Ryker. Three of the biggest bullies in the whole school. Two of them were holding someone up against the wall while Ryker delivered another punch to the kid’s stomach.

Spencer couldn’t place the kid right away. He had to squint and stare for a second longer before he placed it. Oh! It was the new kid. The one who came in just the other day. He was young to be in high school, though not as young as Spencer. He was twelve and apparently he was pretty smart, too. Spencer had been curious to meet him. He just hadn’t worked up the courage. For having only been here for two days the kid sure seemed to already have a group of kids that liked him. He was a social guy and people just kind of flocked to him. He told stories that had people smiling and laughing, his hands waving through the air, ponytail bouncing as he put his whole body into telling his story.

Now, his ponytail had been knocked loose, and his blue eyes weren’t as cheerful as they’d been when Spencer had seen him earlier. They were darker and full of temper. And his mouth! As soon as he got a breath in, the kid’s mouth was running, filling the air with curses in a medley of languages that had Spencer's eyebrows shooting up. Maybe the kid was smart in some ways, but he sure was stupid in others. Didn’t he realize that talking like that would only get him hurt worse? Sure enough, a fist snapped into the kid’s face, splitting his lip, and Spencer winced in sympathy.

There was no way he could just stand here and watch this and he couldn’t just walk away either. Spencer yanked his head back around the corner and bit his lip. His mind raced through countless possibilities of what he might be able to do to help. His choices were limited. He wasn’t big enough or strong enough to take on those three jocks. Racing over there would only get him beat up as well. _One_ of them could hold him down, easily, and he knew it. That meant that he was going to have to rely on his brain for this. Luckily, his brain was a pretty good weapon. In no time, he had himself a plan.

A quick look around provided Spencer with the things he’d need. He gathered his impromptu weapons and moved as quietly as he could up to the edge of the bleachers. With a quick whisper that begged for this to work, he pulled back and threw a rock as hard as he could, launching it up and over the edge of the bleachers. It was quiet for a moment before he heard the rock hit the bleachers. It didn’t just land, but bounced down a couple of them before coming to a stop. Spencer raced to his hiding spot and ducked down in just enough time to hear curses and see two of the jocks come hurrying around the side to check the sound out, just as he’d wanted. Well, he’d been hoping for all of them, but he was prepared for them to leave one behind.

On quiet feet he crept out of his spot around to the back of the bleachers. The kid was still back there, being held with his arms behind his back by Alan. There wasn’t much time for Spencer to debate the wisdom of what he was about to do. He hefted the remaining rock in his hand and sucked in a breath before pulling his arm back and letting the rock fly. Now, he didn’t have the best aim. He’d been hoping to hit the guy _somewhere._ But when the rock caught the guy in the hip, Spencer winced and watched as the guy jerked but didn’t fully let go of his captive.

He didn’t need to, though. The kid took full advantage of it when Alan spun to try and see where the rock came from. With a quick move, the kid stomped his heel down on Alan’s foot and then he snapped his head back, slamming it into Alan’s chin. The shock had Alan dropping the kid to the ground. Spencer didn’t waste any time. He shot forward and grabbed at the kid’s arm as he was scrambling up from the ground. Alan was starting to get up as well and footsteps were thudding on the bleachers, signaling the return of the other jocks. Spencer tightened his grip on the kid’s arm and shouted “Run!”

Run, they did. The two took off like a shot. The kid stumbled a little as they got going and Spencer didn’t dare let go of his arm for fear the kid would fall or get lost. If he was new here, he wouldn’t know the best way to run. So Spencer tugged on him and led him down the road and through a path he knew would provide safety. The two kids raced down one street, turned onto the next, and then into an alley. From there, Spencer tugged on him, trying to get him to move faster. They were almost to safety! “Come on!” he hissed out. He gave another tug to the kid’s arm and pulled him back to the broken part of the fence. This kid was small enough, like him, to be able to slip through. They were close to the same height.

Spencer pulled back the board and pushed the kid through first, keeping an eye out. He could hear the echo of the running jocks getting even closer. Once the kid was through, Spencer scrambled after him, yanking the board back into place. Then he plastered his back against it and held a finger up against his lips to let the kid know to stay silent. They both waited, trying their hardest not to pant from running, as the footsteps got closer and closer and then, as they passed them. Only when Spencer heard them head off down the next alley did he finally breathe a sigh of relief. He looked over at the kid next to him, who was bent over with one arm wrapped around his waist, and a wide grin on his face. Blood still trickled from the split in his lip. “Thanks, man.” The kid wheezed out. “You saved my ass.” Then, as if this were the most normal thing in the world, he held out his free hand to Spencer. “I’m Blair Sandburg. Nice to meet you.”

Was this kid crazy? Spencer looked down at Blair’s hand and then back up into those laughing blue eyes. He resisted the urge to shake his head. Instead, he reached out and shook his hand. “I’m Spencer Reid.”

Blair braced his hand on his knee and straightened up with just a small wince. “I’ve heard of you. You’re that genius ten year old, right?”

A corner of Spencer's mouth quirked up in a grimace. Man, he hated that title. Ten year old genius. It drove him crazy to hear people say it. But the way this kid said it was different. Usually, it was said with a note of wonder or a tone of disgust. Blair said it like it was just…normal. Straightening up, Spencer looked the kid over. “I am.” He answered. Then, his own mouth ran away from him and he shot back “You’re that twelve year old smart kid, right?”

There was a slight note of defensive sarcasm to Spencer's that would’ve got him in trouble with anyone else. It only served to make Blair chuckle. The kid lifted his hand and wiped his bloody lip on his sleeve. “Yep.” Blair looked down at his sleeve and then up at Spencer again. “There a place nearby I can clean up? If Naomi sees me like this, she’ll have a cow.”

Spencer looked at him for a second more before shaking his head. In an instant, he made a decision that wasn’t typical for him at all. “Come on. I live just down the block. You can come in and wash up there.”

“Awesome! You sure your parents won’t care, man?”

The two started down the empty alley that they’d hidden in. Spencer kept up watch, just to make sure that no one had discovered his secret exit here. “My Mom won’t mind.” He said in answer to Blair’s words. It was true, too. Diana wouldn’t care. This time of day, she wouldn’t even be awake, he knew. He was well used to his Mom’s schedule and this time of day she’d be sound asleep in her bed. She wouldn’t rise until he brought dinner upstairs to her.

“What about your Dad?” Blair asked him as they slipped out and onto the sidewalk.

Spencer's shoulders tensed and the familiar ache grew inside of him. He shoved it down and forced himself to ignore it. It made his voice just a little flat, though. “It’s just Mom and I.” His tone left no doubt that this was a closed subject. Blair must’ve understood because he didn’t press it. He left that part alone entirely and, with a bubbliness that Spencer was amazed he could manage with as much as he must hurt, he said “Oh, hey, same here. I don’t have a clue who my Dad is. It’s always just been Naomi and I. But that’s cool, I don’t mind. As Mom’s go, I got pretty lucky. She’s pretty awesome.”

“You call your Mom by her name?” Spencer couldn’t picture doing that with his mom. He tried to imagine himself talking to her and calling her Diana and he couldn’t quite make the picture mesh. She was just…Mom.

Blair let out a laugh that quickly turned to a wheeze. His arm tightened around his ribs and he had to stop and bend over for a minute. “Oh, man.” He groaned out painfully. “Man. Laughing is _so_ not cool right now.”

The kid looked like he could barely manage to stay upright. Spencer chewed his bottom lip for a moment before he managed to screw up his courage and step up to Blair’s side. He slipped one arm around the kid’s waist and drew Blair’s good arm over his shoulders. “Come on, my place is just up ahead.” Together, the two of them made it down the road and to Spencer's house. He took his free hand and pulled his key from his backpack, unlocking the door quickly. The two managed to get inside and Spencer got Blair over to the couch.

Once he had Blair seated, he hurried back to shut and lock the door. Then he set about gathering supplies. A few minutes later he returned to the living room with a first aid kit and a wet washcloth. He handed over the washcloth while he set out the rest of his supplies. “Here, put this on your lip. It looks like it’s stopped bleeding, but you’ve got blood all down your chin and neck.”

“Thanks.” Blair took the cloth and applied it to his mouth with a hiss. His bright blue eyes watched as Spencer opened the kit and sifted around inside of it to find what he needed. “You look pretty practiced at all this.”

That was putting it mildly. Spencer had become pretty adept at bandaging his own injuries over the years. Especially since he’d started high school. Being the young, skinny, geeky kid didn’t exactly make him popular. On any normal, given day, it would’ve been a normal thing for Spencer to have been the one in Blair’s shoes. A residual ache in his own stomach reminded him that it _had_ been him in that position just a few days ago. The bruises hadn’t even fully faded yet. But he didn’t say any of that out loud. He just shrugged one shoulder as casually as he could manage and he grabbed the antibacterial cream from the bottom of the box. He’d seen the blood on the left knee of Blair’s jeans and he figured he’d probably scraped them up a bit at some point. “I know a bit of first aid.” He downplayed his skill. With one hand he gestured to Blair’s legs. “If you roll up your pant leg, I’ll clean up your knee for you.”

Blair didn’t even hesitate. He reached down with his free hand and pulled his pant leg up until his skinned knee was revealed. The whole time, his eyes stayed on Spencer, curious and maybe a little amused. How was it that this kid was so easy going and relaxed about all this? Spencer couldn’t help but ponder it as he bent down to take a look at things. He grabbed a piece of gauze from the kit and wiped carefully at the blood. Blair didn’t really seem perturbed by what had happened. He was acting like this whole thing was no big deal. Heck, when they’d been hitting him, he’d just been mouthing off to those guys! Remembering that, Spencer darted a look up through his bangs. He didn’t really know this Blair, but he seemed like a nice enough kid. Enough so that Spencer couldn’t help but give him a little advice. “Next time, it might be a good idea not to antagonize them so badly. If you’re quiet, they’ll let you go quicker.”

To his surprise, Blair grinned wide enough that it showed around the washcloth he still held to his lip. “I always tell myself I won’t get so mouthy next time, and the next time around I always forget. Chris tells me that my mouth writes checks my ass can’t cash.”

“What?” Spencer looked up with a confused expression, eyebrows furrowing down. What on earth was Blair talking about?

Laughter filled the living room. Dropping the washcloth, Blair explained “It basically means I talk too much and get myself in a lot of trouble.”

“Oh.” Well that was something Spencer could definitely understand. He put down the gauze and picked back up the antibacterial cream. “I do that a lot, too. I forget sometimes that people don’t always want to hear what I have to say.”

“I know the feeling. But, man, there are so many _interesting_ things! Like today. I was just telling those dickwads about this tribe Naomi and I met when we were in Africa and this guy started making some racist remarks and the next thing I know, I’m getting grabbed after school and hauled back there to play human punching bag.”

Spencer put away the cream and grabbed a Band-Aid to go over Blair’s knee. He nodded as he did, understanding now what had happened. “That’d be Alan. He has a huge problem with anyone that isn’t a carbon copy of himself. He also holds a grudge, so it would probably be a good idea to avoid him, well…” Spencer looked up, smiling just slightly. “Just avoid him altogether.”

“Thanks for the advice.” Looking down at his now bandaged knee, Blair flexed his leg a little, testing the hold. Then he let his pant leg drop back down. “An thanks for that, too. You play a pretty good nurse there, Spencer.”

“You’re welcome.”

When Spencer got back from putting away his supplies and putting the bloody cloth in some water to soak, he found Blair had gotten up from the couch. The older kid was smiling at him and he surprised Spencer completely by holding out his hand. “Thanks again for your help, man. I mean it. Naomi would blow a gasket if I came home like that. She’d freak about my aura and how bad fighting is for my karma.”

Aura? Karma? Spencer blinked in surprise at the words, but he did reach out and shake Blair’s hand. “It was no problem.”

“Yeah, well, it probably didn’t exactly endear you to those guys.” Blair pointed out. He walked towards the front door, Spencer on his heels. When he reached the door, he paused for a minute and turned back to him. “So, wanna walk to school together tomorrow?”

Wait, what? “Huh?”

“You know, safety in numbers and all that jazz. Nothing better than having a friend to watch your back. Especially one that can think on his feet like you.”

The word friend froze Spencer more than anything else. A hesitant sort of smile touched his lips. “Oh, uh, sure. That’d be great.”

“Great!” Blair opened the door and stepped out on the front porch. “I’ll stop by in the morning, then. See you then!”

And that was how one of the greatest friendships that Spencer would ever have was started.


End file.
